Occurrence, distribution, and characterization of suspended microplastics in a highly impacted estuarine wetland in Argentina

FORERO-LÓPEZ, A.D.; RIMONDINO, G.N.; TRUCHET, D.M.; COLOMBO, C.V.; BUZZI, N.S.; MALANCA, F.E.; SPETTER, C.V.; FERNÁNDEZ-SEVERINI, M.D.

THE SCIENCE OF TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

Elsevier

Año: 2021 vol. 785 p. 147141 - 147141

0048-9697

icroplastics have been a global concern due to their potential and widespread risks to organisms and environments. In this study, we investigated the abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics (MPs) in the surface waters of the Bahía Blanca Estuary (BBE), specifically in its inner and middle zone. The results showed the dominant shape of MPs were fibers, being black, transparent, and blue the main colors. The concentrations of MPs ranged from 182 to 33,373 items m?3 with a mean value of 6162 items m?3. The highest concentrations of MPs were detected in the middle zone of the estuary, a site that receives untreated sewage effluents from the city. The most abundant size ranges were from 0.5 to 1.5 mm (44.21%) and ˂0.5 mm (40.21%) and were predominant at all the sampling sites. The concentration of mesoplastics in the inner zone (16 items m?3) presented larger values than in the middle zone (5 items m?3). A wide variety of polymeric materials with predominance of